SLFA Launches Sierra Leone's First Women's Football Strategy

The Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) has launched the country's first-ever Women's Football Strategy, a four-year framework intended to guide the growth of the women's game from grassroots level to international competition.

SLFA President Babadi Kamara launched the strategy on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, at the Freetown City Council Hall. The event brought together football administrators, officials of the National Sports Authority and representatives of FIFA, world football's governing body.

According to the association, the strategy provides a comprehensive plan for developing women's football across the country. It is aligned with the SLFA's mission to develop and promote football, and aims to strengthen structures and widen opportunities for women and girls in the sport.

Speaking at the launch, Mr Kamara described the strategy as more than a milestone, saying it represented a commitment to the future of women's football in Sierra Leone.

He said every girl should have the opportunity to play football, develop her talent and aim for the highest level of the game.

Mr Kamara also said the SLFA has a responsibility to work with partners and stakeholders to turn the strategy into real results. Its success, he stressed, would depend on a collective effort to move the women's game forward.

Those present included SLFA Second Vice President Prince Saquee, the Executive Director of the National Sports Authority, Mohamed Alphaka Conteh, SLFA General Secretary Mohamed Benson Bawoh and the association's Women's Football Manager, Elizabeth Kailey.

Two FIFA representatives also attended: Thubaelihle Bridgette Sibanda from Zimbabwe and Tsholofelo Candy Setlhoko from Botswana.

Immediately after the launch, the SLFA, with support from FIFA, opened a three-day capacity-building workshop for women's football administrators, running from 28 to 30 October 2026.

The workshop is designed to strengthen the skills and knowledge of the administrators who will be responsible for carrying out the strategy. According to the association, the aim is to build a stronger, more inclusive and more sustainable future for women's football in Sierra Leone.

Why it matters: A written, multi-year strategy gives the association a public reference point against which its progress on women's football can be measured. It also provides a framework for partners, clubs and schools that want to support girls' and women's participation.

The launch marks a new chapter in the SLFA's work on women's football. Its long-term impact will depend on how effectively the framework is put into practice and whether it creates real opportunities for female players, coaches and administrators, as well as stronger structures supporting the game across the country.

The association did not set out the strategy's specific targets in its launch remarks. Lanbuk will report further details as they become available.